


(it would be so fine) to see your face at my door

by fictorium



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Cat Grant Knows Kara Danvers Is Supergirl, F/F, Femslash, Fic Exchange, Prompt Fill, Vacation, Washington D.C.
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-31
Updated: 2018-07-31
Packaged: 2019-06-17 22:02:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15471057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fictorium/pseuds/fictorium
Summary: HR has finally lost it and demanded that Kara actually take some of her accumulated leave. At a complete loss for what to do with her time off, Kara asks Cat for advice.





	(it would be so fine) to see your face at my door

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Argyle_S](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Argyle_S/gifts).



> Title is a Carole King lyric from "So Far Away" cause Melissa fucking ROCKED it you guys.

“Hey Pam!” Kara greets the HR consultant with a cheerful wave. Everyone else in Alex’s lab instinctively retreats when Pam comes storming in, clipboard in hand. “You look busy.”

“There you are, Supergirl. Didn’t you check your DEO email?”

“Um, do I _have_ a DEO email?” Alex nudges Kara in the ribs. Somehow, it almost hurts, the jab is so sharp. “I mean, of course I do. I haven’t checked it today, though…?”

“Well, ever since I was forced to pretend you and that boy from Daxam constituted a serious, adult relationship, you’ve been considered a DEO employee and not just a contractor. You do remember signing the paperwork?”

“I… do.” Kara nods a little too emphatically. “Wait, you’re not firing me are you? Because Winn totally pranked me with that locker thing before he left, and I didn’t know the whole wall was gonna-”

“Supergirl, please.” Pam holds up a hand. Two armed DEO agents actually leave the room, and not slowly either. “I’m simply here to remind you of your leave allowance. I had set it aside for your trip to see your mother. As I understand, that ended up being another work trip.”

“No, I mean what happened was, well, I suppose you could say that…”

“Bottom line is we can’t have the public noticing that Supergirl never takes a single day off. The more transparent this organization becomes, the more subject to scrutiny we are. You have to take the vacation days, and sooner rather than later.”

“It might be nice to get some downtime, Kara,” Alex steps up to agree. “You must be due some time off from CatCo too. If not, I’m sure James can work something out. And you’re lucky, you don’t even need to pay for the flights to go somewhere cool.”

“But… I can’t… would you come too?” Kara asks. A sisters’ trip would be the perfect antidote to all the upheaval lately.

“No can do,” Alex explains. “With the new job, and the fact that I just registered with the adoption agency… it would look bad to suddenly disappear for a week, you know? What if they find me a baby on Tuesday?”

“I don’t think that’s how getting a kid works, but okay.” Kara sighs. 

Pam holds out a piece of paper. “10 days, starting tomorrow. Weekends aren’t included in your vacation days, but you should be taking them off anyway. I don’t want to see a cape in the sky until the time is up.”

“You got it,” Kara says with a heavy sigh. Now she just needs something to do.

***

CatCo leave is more generous than most companies, and Kara didn’t miss a day of work in two years as Cat’s assistant. Until the whole Supergirl thing, where she lost one to Black Mercy and a half day to a cold with a broken arm. It only takes a quick check of her employee profile to confirm she has more than enough vacation time to cover her DEO break. 

So. Time off. Huh.

Her next point of call is Lena, who laughs so long and so hard at the very suggestion of taking two weeks off that Kara is concerned she’ll have to call for an oxygen mask. 

“So not even a few days, huh?” Kara tries, but Lena just gestures around her spotless office, which doesn’t really make her point at all. All the work is on her computers, but she’s far too busy to even consider it, what with helping Sam set up her new life and the pressures of running two huge corporations.

Kara leaves with a sad smile, knowing the answer would be the same from James (and it’s weird to ask, with him dating Lena and… Rao, when did life get this messy?) There’s no Winn around to ask anymore, and everyone at the DEO is pitching in to help Alex get used to her new job. 

Just then her phone pings with a Facebook Live alert for Cat. Moving to the White House hasn’t slowed her social media game any, and she’s dragged the rest of the administration with her. Kara ducks into the first coffee shop outside of L Corp and reaches for an earbud. She’s aware that she’s smiling like an idiot at her phone screen, but it’s nice to see Cat almost every day, even if it’s nothing like it used to be. 

The briefing about some captured Russian spies piques Kara’s interest, but she finds herself caring less about the content and focusing instead on Cat’s razor-sharp delivery. She looks flawless, of course, but Kara thinks maybe there’s just a little more concealer under Cat’s eyes than usual. When she tears some partisan hack from FOX News a new one, there’s just a fraction of a second’s hesitation before the killer blow. If Kara didn’t know better, she’d almost say Cat was tired. 

It’s not a long press conference, and just as it comes to a close with Cat’s new signature closing of “that’s all” that no reporter dares to argue with, Kara’s phone pops up with a call from Kal-El. 

Maybe Metropolis is the answer to her problem?

“Hey Kara,” he greets her with almost the right inflection, just that little bit more Kryptonian than everyone else in the way his mouth shapes her name. “I just heard you’ve been benched.”

“They called you?”

“No, I had to check in with Alex about a site I found out here with traces of kryptonite. The DEO is sending in a team to clear it out though, it’s all good. You got cover for your break?”

“Nope, just no Supergirl for a while. I guess they’ll call me in if it gets really bad, but you know the DEO coped with most things here before I came out. Speaking of vacation, I kind of need-”

“You inspired me, actually,” Kal interrupts. “Lois has been nagging me about taking time off all year, which is pretty hypocritical coming from her, but what Lois wants... Still, we’ve had a few close shaves, and it sounds like one heck of a recharge to spend a week in the Caribbean, you know?”

“Right. Of course. When are you going?”

“Tomorrow, booked it all last-minute. I mean, if you wanted to tag along-”

“No!” Kara jumps in fast. She loves her cousin. She even loves Lois, most of the time, although loyalty to Cat has made that all a bit weird, honestly. “You guys deserve the quality time. I’ve got a bunch of options here, I just wanted to give cousin time first refusal, that’s all.”

“Well, maybe when we get back, okay? We’d love to see you.”

“Sure,” Kara says, though like family holidays and anniversaries, she suspects it’ll be just another set of phone calls. They’ve gotten worse instead of better about spending time together in person. “I’ll uh, let you know when I have some plans.”

It’s probably that sting of rejection that makes Kara jab at Cat’s name in her contacts without stopping to catch her breath, or settle her disrupted feelings. 

Cat answers in one ring, but she’s still in the middle of berating her staff, whoever they are at the White House. Kara has made a point of not looking them up, because she doesn’t want to know who gets to be around Cat all day, every day. There’s no point in harbouring that level of jealousy on top of everything else. 

“-so tell the Secretary that if she wants to control the content of my briefings that she’s going to have to rewrite the Constitution to make herself my damn boss.”

“Hey, Cat.” It still feels like a secret slipping from her tongue, to be on first name terms. “I can call back if it’s a bad time, or-”

“Kara, don’t you dare. Is there a reason why you’re all still in this office? I take my calls in private. Chop, chop.” Kara listens to the sounds of retreat, smiling at the impatient click of Cat’s tongue. “Hello.”

“Hello.” Kara feels the thrumming in her blood start to slow. Somehow Cat always calms her, even though historically she’s been the source of at least 60% of Kara’s stress. “I saw your briefing. You were…”

“Uncompromising, unbeatable, almost… invincible?” Cat can always be relied upon to provide her own compliments. “Yes, I suppose I was.”

“Anyway, I was just putting in for some vacation time at CatCo, and of course that reminded me of you and-”

Kara hears the distinct sound of a forehead hitting a desk. She’d know it anywhere by now. 

“Cat?”

“Honestly, it’s a mercy at this stage that I have a secure line. I just got the alert from the DEO that Supergirl is taking a vacation, which is only made available at a certain clearance level. Then you call up just to confirm one more time that you are one and the same. I’ve been _trying_ to keep your secret, Kara. Why aren’t you?”

A hundred denials come rushing to the forefront, but Kara knows these days when she’s beaten. “... sorry? I wasn’t thinking. Wait, they notify the White House?”

“And the DoD, and the DoJ. Still, better to clear the air. Now you can tell me where you’re really going for your vacation. Just promise you won’t let that married idiot follow you around and ruin it like he did most of the past six months.”

“Why do you only remember things about my lovelife that you can disapprove of?” Kara asks. “Not that he’s my lovelife. And he’s gone now. For good this time.”

“Well, enjoy taking your sister to Epcot, or whatever fun things you have planned.”

“I don’t,” Kara blurts. “Have any plans. I was… everyone’s busy, and I get it because it’s short notice. I just thought I’d complain about that for a second, save the resentment building up.” They don’t speak about why Kara’s so careful with that these days, why every time she chokes down her frustration about something she’s left picturing a 40-floor fall borne of unexpressed annoyance with Cat.

“Oh really? Well, I have next week free. The president is in Asia, and she’s taking my deputy with her. If she’s even half as good as me, I might be able to step down before long.”

“You… but you love Washington!” Kara protests. “You said it was the best thing you’ve done since starting CatCo. And Carter loves his school, and-”

“Nothing’s definite. Try to save your hyperbolic mourning for my state funeral, please. Many, _many_ years from now.” Cat sounds amused though. “Since Carter is off with his father, I was going to just take some writing time. I think my next bestseller is taking shape.”

Kara smiles at the thought of Cat pottering around her DC brownstone for a week in soft cotton shirts and ripped jeans. Accidentally doubling up her reading glasses and drinking far too much coffee because she always makes a full pot at a time. Ink smudges on her fingers because she still does her first drafts longhand. It’s a whole new level of missing her.

“Maybe I should write a book, then,” Kara suggests. “Supergirl’s Guide to Planet Earth.”

“If I thought you were serious, I’d start a publishing company just to get the exclusive rights.”

Kara rolls her eyes, because they both know Cat isn’t kidding in the slightest. “Well, you have fun. I’m going to go, uh-”

“I don’t have to write,” Cat says. “Or we both could, as long as you’ve learned to chew with your mouth closed. What I’m saying, Kara, is if you don’t have any other plans then I could host you. Have you visited our nation’s capital?”

“No, there was supposed to be a class trip but I was still freaked out about airplanes that year and-”

“Let my assistant know your plans. I have to go call the Speaker of the House a kidnapper to make sure the evening news are covering his horrible immigration policies.”

“Okay, good. Do that. I’ll uh-”

Of course, the call has already ended. And maybe Cat isn’t being entirely sincere in her offer, but Kara’s heart is already fluttering at the thought of spending a whole week in Cat’s company. Maybe they can do some regular tourist activities like any other normal people. That actually sounds like a vacation. 

Before she can think better of it, Kara opens her browser and starts looking for things to do in Washington. She gets a text from Cat as she does. 

_Use my miles to book a flight if it’s less tiring. Spend your money on conditioner or something else urgent._

It wouldn’t be a nice gesture from Cat without a sting in the tail, but Kara accepts all the same. 

She’s really going on vacation. 

***

She ends up traveling under her own steam, but to keep up appearances, Kara times her arrival with a flight landing from National City. It just takes her a fifth of the time to get there. Her hair might be a bit messy, but that’s easily fixed with superspeed and a good brush. 

Rao, she’s nervous. Not that she should be, but there’s that bubbly feeling deep down in her stomach that feels a lot like… well, a lot like first date nerves. Which Cat would totally shoot down, and endlessly mock her for. No, this is two friends, mentor and mentee, catching up as ladies of leisure do. Right? Totally a thing. 

When she gave Cat an ETA, Kara did not expect a car to be waiting outside the airport, the driver holding up her name on a sign. They’d texted back and forth about Kara’s cunning plan to arrive at an actual airport, with much assumed eye-rolling on Cat’s part. If she ever discovered that emoji, she’d probably break her phone with it. 

Even more unexpected, when the driver opens the back door of the town car for Kara to slide in, Cat is already situated on the backseat. 

“Hey!” The joy in Kara’s voice is instant and genuine. “Wow, this is a big honor. I mean, it’s pretty much only Carter and Cher who get personal airport greetings.”

“Well, I had some free time. And it makes it harder for the press to track me down on my vacation time if I do unexpected things. Welcome, welcome.”

Kara dives in for the hug, not second guessing herself for a second. Of all the developments in their relationship, from Cat getting her name right to reading her articles, the part where they get to hug just might be Kara’s favorite. 

“Gosh, we have so much to catch up on, don’t we?” Kara can’t help thinking of all the times she’s wanted to call Cat and hasn’t. How that might change in a post-vacation, post-knowing-about-Supergirl world. “I’ve tried to catch all of your briefings, and your introduction at the Correspondents’ Dinner was just… I mean, you know. Tell me everything. And Carter! How is he?”

Cat’s smile is indulgent as she sets her phone aside and starts to relay her Washington antics over the past few months. The Minority Leader has threatened a restraining order, and she’s got all the local studios falling over themselves to get her on the Sunday shows, which was a given. Carter meanwhile is loving his new school, thriving in a more pupil-driven environment, and generally turning into the best young man Cat has ever known. 

It’s so nice to see her guard down, and to see her so happy. Kara can’t help a twinge that Cat hadn’t felt this way in National City, or around her. It’s not so great to be part of the thing that Cat had to leave behind in order to feel fulfilled. 

The rest of the day is effortless, in that familiar way. Cat’s home is every bit as stunning as Kara expected, and her guest room is on the top floor, a huge space that opens out onto a roof terrace. As accommodations for flying aliens go, this one is about as great as Kara could have hoped for. Not that she plans to be flying off anytime soon.

“Comfortable enough?” Cat asks from the doorway, startling Kara from where she’s staring at the huge bed with its multitude of pillows. “There are other rooms, but I thought…” She nods towards the huge French windows out onto the terrace. “I like to have my coffee out there in the morning, unless that disturbs you?”

“No, it won’t. I can join you, if you like.”

“That might be nice. Are you tired from the flying? I imagine long distances take more out of you. Although you look as fit and uh, energetic as usual.”

“Cat-” 

“Kara, I-”

It’s the look they’re sharing that does it. The lack of walls, the new honesty between them has obliterated all of their excuses. Kara can’t look at Cat without giving away how she actually feels, it would seem. Luckily Cat is every bit as transparent in return. She drags a look over Kara that scorches better than any laser vision, from her bare ankles right to the top of her head. 

So instead of unpacking her underwear and her toothbrush, Kara marches right across the guest bedroom and gathers Cat up in the most Hollywood kiss of her life. There’s no awkward fumbling, no click of teeth or misaligned lips, just fitting together as they already have in so many other ways.

Half of the cushions are scattered by the way Kara throws Cat down on the bed, more still by the way they explore each other, pulling at clothing and pressing every possible part of their bodies together. Cat grumbles when Kara deliberately musses her hair, but she gives every bit as good as she gets. 

“I’ve wanted…” Kara can’t quite find the words for more than two years of wanting, of carrying the one secret she’s always been able to keep. “Rao, Cat, please.”

Cat’s fingers are nimble as they unbutton Kara’s shorts at the waist, and there’ll be time for lingering and savoring later. Right now Kara is practically climbing the walls at the light pressure of Cat’s fingertips through her underwear, well on its way to soaked through. 

Knowing Cat expects to be matched, Kara keeps her own hands busy. The camisole top that Cat is wearing is barely a barrier at all, the silk so light beneath Kara’s fingers. She hums in her throat on discovering the lack of bra beneath, and their jostling for position is peppered with soft moans as each new sensitive spot is unearthed. 

Of course, Cat gets impatient before too long. Varied, fleeting pleasure here and there is lovely, but Kara can feel the need for something more focused, more concentrated. She reluctantly slows her own exploration of Cat’s body, whipping the remainder of their clothes off in a show-off burst of superspeed. The fact that it makes Cat laugh, that soft, genuine sound Kara has been craving so much? Is just icing on this particularly amazing cake. 

It’s no sacrifice to let Cat take the lead. Kara lets those expressive hands that have told so many stories, that have inspired emotions from joy through to knee-trembling fear, bring a brand new story forth from Kara’s body. For the first time outside of blowing out her powers, Kara feels almost fragile. Every touch feels so deliberate, and if affects her in ways she didn’t expect. Is this how humans feel all the time? If so, why is Kara only feeling it now and never with anyone else? Not even those who came close to matching her powers.

She loses the thread as Cat works her up, teasing only for a while before coaxing an orgasm from Kara, in much the same way as Cat has always drawn the very best out of her. She’s patient and relentless and doesn’t let Kara stop coming until she’s completely satisfied.

“Rao,” Kara says in a whoosh of breath, voice cracking. “I should have expected that.”

“Oh no, I can be quite unexpected,” Cat says, falling down on the mattress at Kara’s side. “You were…”

“Cat Grant, lost for words?” Kara can’t help but tease. She reaches across, traces Cat’s collarbone with a fingertip. There was never anything that defined, that perfect in any life drawing class Kara ever took. It’s a new freedom now, to imagine Cat posing for her. To have Cat naked in front of her, without the cheat of x-ray vision. 

Kara realizes a dam has broken somewhere inside her, that she can finally feel all of these feelings that she’s been denying since the moment she first recognized them. Instead of the drawn-out angst she expected to drag on forever, they’re already closer than she ever imagined.

“I’m not the one daydreaming,” is the best comeback Cat can muster. Kara hears the hint of a challenge, realizes she’s slacking. 

“I’m right here,” she promises, kissing Cat as sweetly as she knows how. “Now, if you don’t mind, I have about three years’ worth of fantasies to play out.”

“I always did like you brazen.”

***

“I wanted to take you somewhere nobody else could. That’s uh, not innuendo, I promise.”

“Pity.” Cat over enunciates that way she does when she’s being playful. “This view is quite something. But won’t the drones or the Air Force or… whatever be alerted?” It’s a fair question, considering she’s currently being held in a bridal carry somewhere above the Washington Monument. It’s much less… phallic at this angle.

“You’re not the only one who has pull with the government you know. The no fly zone has a two-hour exemption for everyone’s favorite alien.”

“Funny, I don’t _see_ Superman anywhere.”

Kara shoots her a wounded look, but Cat revels in her mock offense. They’ve been together now for three days straight, but this is the first time they’ve made it out of Cat’s house for more than a quick coffee or to pick up takeout. 

“So since we’re in a place no one else can go, why don’t we tell each other a secret while we’re here?” Kara suggests. “There’s so much I still want to tell you. I don’t even know where to start.”

“Then I will.” Cat is good at picking up the thread that way. She might just be Kara’s favorite conversationalist. “Let’s see… what’s appropriate for the top of the Washington Monument?”

“You tell me,” Kara says, adjusting her hold slightly, turning Cat gently towards the southern exposure. 

“This is… when I saw Hamilton, the first time. There’s a line about raising funds for this very monument. And I started to cry, can you believe it? I was so wrapped up in the story, in this version of George Washington, that I felt sad and angry America would resist building a monument to its first President, simply because he was black.”

“But-“

“Yes, I _know._ Like I said, caught up in the moment. Look around Kara. What’s the name of the city? Do you think there’s any chance that Washington will be forgotten? Straight white men rarely are.”

“That’s not the part I cried at,” Kara confesses. “Okay I cried a bunch of different times,” she corrects, off Cat’s raised eyebrow. “But the part that really got me was about legacy. About what we leave behind.”

“Small wonder, considering.” Cat’s kind about how she says it, patting Kara’s bicep. “I’ve been obsessed with mine for far too long. Yours will be a hero’s legacy. That’s not so bad.”

“I can’t believe you’re such a dork about musicals,” Kara teases, deflecting the heavy conversation for another time. “At least Hamilton is popular, but don’t think I’ve forgotten about Jekyll & Hyde.”

“Oh just you wait, there’ll be a big revival one day to prove me right. And anyone who isn’t moved by ‘In His Eyes’ doesn’t have a soul.”

Kara nods as though she knows what Cat is actually talking about. “This week is going so fast. Too fast. I’m… well, I’m going to miss this. Is it okay to say that?”

Nestling her head against the side of Kara’s neck, Cat is quiet for a moment. “It’s okay. I’ve always known, Kara, that if I was lucky enough to ever have this, with you… it could never be for a long time.”

Kara nods. The air seems chillier than it should be, and she blinks more than normal to pretend the tears aren’t welling up. 

“Let’s get you home,” she says quietly. They fly across the city without saying another word.

***

Kara can’t hold it in any longer, and when Cat brings them a nightcap into the sitting room--brandy for herself, cocoa for Kara--the question just bubbles up.

“Why?”

“You’ll have to be more specific,” Cat warns as she hands over the mug laden with a precariously high pile of marshmallows. “Why am I so brilliant at everything I turn my hand to? Why does Lois Lane always do that to her bangs? Why-”

“Why could it never be for a long time?” Kara demands. She picks off the marshmallows, popping them in her mouth one at a time. “Who decides that? You?”

“Kara…” Cat tucks herself into the opposite corner of the loveseat they’re sharing. “I’m trying to be practical, that’s all. For both our sakes.”

“Do you have any idea what it’s like?” Kara asks, keeping her gaze firmly on her mug of cocoa. “To know that you’ll outlive everyone you ever love? No matter when you meet them, how healthy they are, how much human science advances…”

“Sounds lonely,” Cat says. 

“It can be. Even lonelier when people call things off before they can really get going. Cat, I’m not proposing-”

“And yet it’s still less awkward than both times Rob Lowe did…”

“I just want to think about a way this could continue after our week’s staycation is up. I want to talk about it with you because I want to talk about everything and anything with you. I would listen to you reading the dictionary, Cat. Not least because you’d probably start arguing with the definitions before you even made it to ‘b’.”

“Hope is a painful thing, Kara,” Cat reaches for her hand and takes it. “I’ve willed my way into conquering the media, the business world, even politics. But I haven’t had the courage to will my way into having you. Into being with you. The only other thing I’ve done that scared me this much was wanting a second child. I was so convinced I didn’t deserve it, that it would be one time I wouldn’t get my way. But along came Carter, and now there’s you. Promising me… what?”

“Anything you want,” Kara says, and she means it more than just about anything. “Long distance, relocating, digging up every state between us and throwing them aside, just to push both cities closer to each other… anything that means we get to have this between us. More, Cat. We both deserve more.”

Cat is up on her knees, brandy dispensed with. She pulls Kara closer, until they’re both facing each other on the sofa, kneeling. “I’ve been giving some thought to the next time I dive. Olivia doesn’t want to lose me, but there’s one way I could definitely go with her blessing.”

“What’s that?” Kara asks, cupping Cat’s cheek in her palm, rubbing her thumb along an exquisite cheekbone. She really has to get this woman in front of her easel. 

“If I ran for office,” Cat says, looking away for just a moment. “There’s no point in Congress, not for someone with my influence. No Senate seats anywhere interesting. But Governor…”

“Where? I mean, you’re from Metropolis, does it have to be back home?”

“National City is my home. California. Even more so when you’re there. I’m not trying to tie you down here, Kara,” Cat says. “But you’re right. If there’s a chance, even a small one of getting more, of getting to have this for so much longer…”

“Then I support your plan,” Kara says, proving it with a small, lovely kiss. “And I’ll personally knock on every door in the state to campaign for you, if you decide to go for it.”

“For most people that would be hyperbole. For you it’s more, what? A few afternoons’ work?

Kara smiles. This no secrets thing is so much better. She can’t believe she waited so long. 

“Well, we don’t have to rush into the future just yet. But we can enjoy the present a lot more now we know we’ll have options. That sounds pretty great to me.”

“Of course it does,” Cat huffs. “I came up with the idea. Now tell me, are we going to stay here on this ridiculous piece of furniture, or was there anywhere else in the house that caught your eye?”

“Well the dining table is nice and clear…” Kara waggles her eyebrows for effect, gets only an eye roll in return. At least until Cat stands and leads Kara down the hall, stopping right outside the dining room.

“I’m really glad you came to visit,” Cat says, a quiet confession that’s punctuated by kissing Kara’s cheek. “You should take more vacations.”

“I will if you will,” Kara promises, and she starts leading Cat over to the spotless mahogany table. “But this one isn’t over yet.”


End file.
